Surface scraper or grader.



L. M. LINDER.

SURFACE SGBAPER 0R GBADER.

APPLIUATIOH FILED JUNE 5, 1911.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

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L. M. LINDBR. SURFACE SORAPEB 0R GRADER. APPLICATION 211.1111 June, 1911.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEMON M. LINDER, OF MATTHEWS, INDIANA.

SURFACE SCRAPER OR GRADER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEMON M. LINDER, of Matthews, in the county of Grant and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surface Scrapers or Graders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in surface scrapers or graders, and is designed particularly as an improvement on the construction disclosed in my Patent No. 981,437 granted to me January 10th, 1911.

My present invention consists in certain details of construction as will be more fully explained and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in plan showing the scrapers parallel with the hitch bar, and the carrying wheels in the lowered position, and also showing in dotted lines, the scrapers arranged oblique to the hitch bar. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of same, and showing the seat, which is omitted in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is also an end view showing the scrapers lowered onto the ground. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the device showing the front scraper; the front carrying wheel and the means for raising and lowering the frame on the front carrying wheel. Fig. 5 is view in front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 are views of the friction clamps for connecting the scraper and cross bars.

The grader or scraper frame comprises scraper bars 1, preferably three, which latter are shaped as shown in Fig. 4, and each of which is provided with a forwardly in clined lower edge forming a rest or support for the removable blade or scraper at. These scraper bars are connected to the parallel cross bars 2, by the bolts 3 and friction clamps 4. The friction clamps are simply disks, each having a central hole for the passage of the bolt 3, and lips 4*, the lips on the upper section adapted to engage the opposite sides of the cross bars 2, and the lips 4" on the lower section adapted to engage one side of the scraper bar, the lips operating to prevent the section of the clamps from turning. By interposing the disks between the scraper bars and cross bars, I decrease the friction surface at each joint, thus reducing the friction, and lessening the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 5, 1911.

bar.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

Serial No. 631,364.

power required to adjust the parts. scraper bars are also parallel, and at right angles to the cross bars, and each of the end cross bars 2 is provided at its rear end, and the middle cross bar, at its front end, with The a carrying wheel, by means of which the" scraper frame may be raised, so as to elevate the scrapers above the ground, or lowered so as to permit the scrapers to make contact with the ground.

Each rear carrying wheel 5 is mounted in 3 two rear levers being on opposite sides of' the seat 9 and within easy reach of the operator at all times. The middle cross bar 2 is provided at its front end with a toothed sector 8*, to which the bifurcated lever 6 is pivoted. This lever is also provided with a spring actuated dog 9 for locking the lever in any adjustment to the sector, and is provided at its lower end with the cams 10, which latter rests on and engages the circular disk 11 on the truck frame 12. The a truck frame 12 carries a wheel, and is provided with an upwardly projecting pin 13 which latter passes through an opening in the central cross bar, 2, and through a hearing 14 secured to the sector above the cross This front or pilot wheel travels in the direction of draft, and. is always on the ground, but is not always sustaining a part of the weight of the scraper. The two cams 10 of the lever 6 are immediately above the disk, and when turned to the position shown in Fig. 3, lowers the front end of the cross bar down toward, but not necessarily on, disk 11, thereby permitting the scrapers to rest in contact with the ground. By now elevating lever 6' to the position shown in Fig. 2, the cams moving against the top face of disk, elevate the middle cross bar, and necessarily the scrapers as shown in Fig. 4. It will of course be understood that the lever 6" may be adjusted to any position intermediate the extremes shown, but it is only in such position where the front scraper is in contact with the ground that the cross bar rests on the disk 11.

From the construction of parts thus far described, it will be seen that when the levers 6 and 6 are vertical, the scraper frame will be supported on and carried by the wheels with the scrapers in a plane above the surface of the ground, and when the levcrs are lowered the rear wheels will be elevated and the scrapers-lowered so as to engage the ground. By securing one rear lever 6 .in its vertical position as in Fig. 2, and the other rear lever 6 in the position shown in Fig. 3, or any position which will let the scrapers on the adjacent side move in contact with the road bed, the device will be then adjusted to grade inclined road beds.

The end cross bars, are each provided with curved front ends, to which the draft chains or bars are attached. These front ends are curved upwardly and then downwardly and rearwardly and terminate a short distance above the lower edges of the scraper bars, and each curved end is provided with holes 2 for the attachment of the draft devices. With this arrangement the draft devices may be attached to the cross bars in the plane of, or above or below the cross bars, so that the draft will be in the direction of a straight pull, or in a direction to depress or elevate the scraper bars. The draft chains 16 and draft bars 17, either or both, are attached to these curved ends of the cross bars, and at their front ends to the hitch bar. In Fig. 1, I have shown the hitch bar 19 secured to one cross bar by chain 16 and to the other cross bar by draft bar 17.

In operating the machine in square form, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the hitch at both ends of the machine would be of the same character and length, with chains or bars secured to the curved ends of the cross bars. When the machine is operated in oblique form as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, I prefer to attach one end of the hitch bar direct to one end cross bar by a chain, and the other end by a draft bar, as shown. The scraper bars are parallel and are maintained so by the parallel cross bars, but as these parts are loosely or adjustably connected, the relative position of the scraper blades to the line of draft may be readily changed without affecting their parallelism, by simply increasing the length of the draft link or chains at either end as shown.

For the purpose of equalizing the weight, I have located the operators seat 21, which is secured to a yielding support 22 on the center cross bar 2, at or near the longitudinal center of the latter, and if desired I may provide one of the cross bars 2, preferably the central one, as shown, at its rear end, with a hitch or lifting ring 23, to which power may be applied for lifting the scraper or pulling it rearwardly.

In order to lock the scraper bars in their oblique position, I provide the brace rods 24 and 25, the former of which is pivoted to the central cross bar by a bolt 26 passing through an oblong slot 27 in the cross bar 2, and the rods 25 are each pivoted at its front end to the central scraper bar, and at their rear ends to the opposite ends of rod 24. With this construction it is evident that when the scraper bars are arranged obliquely, the brace 21 and one brace 25 will aline longitudinally as shown in dotted lines, and thus operate as a brace and prevent the machine from closing up, or squaring itself, while turning corners.

The hitching device shown is designed for a straight hitch with the scraper bars set at any angle. For farm work, such as surfacin and pulverizing plowed ground, the machine will be used as a drag in square form, but for grading roads, or filling in ditches or trenches, the scraper blades will be set at an angle.

By providing carrying wheels journaled in adjustable frames, I am enabled to so adjust the parts that the scrapers will rest wholly on the ground, or rest on the ground at one end only, or be wholly supported above the ground which is necessary for local transportation from one locality or field to another.

It is evident that many slight changes might be resorted to in the relative arrangement of parts shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I would have it understood that I do not wish to confine myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, but

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a surface scraper or grader, the combination of a series of parallel scraper bars, cross bars, loose friction plates interposed between the scraper bars and cross ars each plate having a projection engaging the side of its respective bar for pre venting the plate from turning, and a series of bolts each passing through a scraper bar and a cross bar and through two loose friction plates for locking said parts together.

2. In a surface scraper or grader the combination of a series of parallel scraper bars, a scraper blade removably secured to each bar, parallel cross bars, loose friction plates interposed between the scraper bars and cross bars, each loose plate having a projection adapted to engage the side of its bar for preventing the plate from turning, and bolts, each passing through a scraper bar and cross bar and through two loose friction plates for locking said parts together.

3. In a surface scraper or grader, the com bination with a frame formed of a series of scraper bars and cross bars connecting the scraper bars, of carrying wheels for the rear portion of the frame, means for moving said Wheels into and out of carrying position, a pilot wheel frame located under the scraper or grader frame at the front and forming a support or bearing on which the said latter frame rests when the scrapers are in their lowermost position, a pin or post fixed to said pilot wheel and passing upwardly through bearings on the scraper or grader frame, and a lever pivoted to said scraper or grader frame and having sliding bearing on the top of the pilot wheel frame, whereby the scraper or grader frame may be elevated or lowered.

4:. In a surface scraper and grader, the combination with a main frame, of carrying wheels for the rear portion of said frame, means for moving said wheel into and outof carrying position, a pilot wheel frame located under the scraper or grader frame at the front and forming a support on which the said latter frame rests when the scrapersare in their lowermost positions, a pin or post fixed to said pilot wheel frame and passing upwardly through hearings on the scraper or grader frame, and a lever pivoted to said latter frame and having a cam at its lower end, the said cam bearing and sliding on the upper face of the pilot wheel frame, whereby the scraper frame may be elevated and lowered by actuating the cam and means for holding said latter lever against movement.

5. In a road scraper and grader, the combination with a series of parallel scraper bars, a series of parallel cross bars, and means for pivotally connecting said scraper and cross bars, of a brace bar pivotally connected to one cross bar, and other brace bars, each pivotally connected at its front end to one scraper bar on opposite sides of said cross bar, and pivotally connected at their rear ends to the brace bar pivoted to the cross bar, whereby when the scraper bars are set obliquely two of said brace bars will aline and form a straight brace.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEMON M. LINDER.

\Vitnesses Iva FULLHART, C. J. OVERMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

